Dinner for Two
by Fan Of Games
Summary: Soa hardly had the chance to pay Raspbel back despite accepting the own deal. With Aleista away retrieving the Third Liaison, the psychotically cannibalistic doppelganger gets a chance to finally share that meal with Raspbel…even if Raspbel herself doesn't want to join her.


Boredom. Sheer, relentless boredom. Everything was quiet within the underground city the two of them called home while their master lurked within deeper recesses beneath this locale, only showing himself through the massively gaping abyss on the other side. Undead roamed the streets of this forsaken society, the forgotten remains of what had once been a thriving civilization where those seeking peace could go for solace. This was once an urbanized rural community, the people who lived here wanting to live their lives without fear of being victimized by the other Great Elders they knew of. Back then everything apart from this place was in a constant state of disorder, plenty of rival cults and whatnot conflicting amongst themselves as did the Great Elders themselves. The beings themselves were rarely encountered save for the one presiding over the space this city was once part of. Following the Great Ruining, this place was the last remaining structural component in their civilization. Since then, the city of Moreisineum has been moved from place to place, from world to world, finally ending up in its current abode within the Gray Garden's underground earth.

Their silent moans and shuffling being the only source of sound and communication these undead shared, the walking cadavers maintained a tight routine patrolling the city. An entire horde of them numbering well over thousands if possible were located throughout these remains of this city. They went about their business, doing absolutely nothing to change it which contributed to a rather intense feeling of boredom. It would've been more enjoyable had something exciting taken place right around now so the undead could partake in it, but nothing was going on. All these dead people did was fulfill their bland routine, boring anyone looking for something to happen. Nothing did, no adventurers coming down to try and loot the joint of whatever riches it had if any—not any riches at all, just as there was certainly no real treasure for them—and no monsters invading from wherever they came from. They were as boring as what this place had once been like, with the one exception being the Great Ruining because conflict occurred and that was something exciting that could be done. As it was, their apparent lack of humanity only made them so boring as some hell.

And boredom was not something she could handle since it was the equivalent of just sitting still and being good. This could've earned some benefits and privileges, but she'd essentially have done nothing to really attain them. The only things she could do right now were eat and sleep. The two activities could've passed the time since she could stomach quite a lot of corpses and store the bodies within her so they could be digested, whereas sleeping was just that: sleeping. Well, dreams could've helped because she could do anything in the dreams. Unfortunately, they were not really all that true even if they were vividly lucid, plus they tended to end right when one woke from the slumber. She may have been a binge eating cannibal, but she certainly didn't want to waste all the corpses she was allowed to consume and she also certainly didn't feel like sleeping now. She was, for lack of a better description, a psychotically deranged ball of energy that just couldn't sit still.

Time was flying, yet at a snail's pace. The only things she'd done today were eat, nap, and throw stones wherever she cast them whenever awake. Of course, she also did other trivial things. Even so, nothing could quench her boredom, nothing would've satisfied her enough to end the big curse of boredom hanging over her like a raincloud bombarding her with droplets of somber rain.

She sighed, staring at the wall while watching the spatter of blood from her previous meal dry as if it were paint. Her pink hair pooled around her as she turned over onto her back, the black dress she wore amazingly not getting dirty from rolling around on the filthy ground—a benefit of being a liaison, albeit a minor benefit. The doppelganger just simply stared, a nonchalant face that denoted her boredom looking ahead at the cavernous wall near the ziggurat where the black abyss was located. _"Boring, boring, boring…"_ she murmured quietly, sick and tired of the constant wait.

It hadn't been that long since Aleista left her to pick up the Third Liaison whom she'd meet soon, hence why the lich demon Soa affectionately nicknamed her adorable crow was absent from Moreisineum. She wished she could go with her, though couldn't because a liaison was needed to deliver terms back and forth between potential recipient clients and M'nellkor. Another reason had been her bad behavior during the Doppelganger Murders which she was responsible for. That was why she'd been grounded, the Alchemist and Dealer allowing Aleista to distribute whatever charge or punishment the lich demon liked. As the older sister in their cherished sisterly bond, she selected the choice of simply grounding Soa instead of any significantly worse charges Raspbel's lookalike might've faced in a far-gone past existence when this city was part of the once thriving civilization. That being said, there were no god awful charges back then since M'nellkor was very fair towards his subjects. It was stern, but affectionate because Aleista wouldn't dare kill her adorable cannibal.

 _"All this waiting around is a major pain in the ass…"_ Soa went on complaining, bored out of her mind because she quite literally had nothing to do without Aleista. Whenever the lich demon was around, Raspbel's doppelganger was always there with her. She clung to Aleista, adoring her like a younger sister admiring her older sister who always loved playing with the former. Soa was the adopted little sister in their relationship, taken under M'nellkor's wing as a liaison for that very reason which gave her access to knowledge pertaining to Aleista's tragic past. That was why she'd do anything to be with her and make her adorable crow happy, and she always certainly succeeded.

Unfortunately, this absence was depressing and boring. Aleista was not around due to being sent away briefly, and Soa couldn't take the boring wait for her to come back and play. _"Man, this really sucks ass…I just wish there was something to do around here. Something with pizazz, style, and excitement."_ The doppelganger huffed in annoyance, leaping to her feet and sauntering past a patrol of undead who didn't regard her due to their patrol. They only did when she had commands to give them, but only specific commands pertaining to where they patrolled and what they guarded in the city. They were all in reserve, waiting for the day when the conflict would end, and Soa was eagerly looking forward to it because it meant she'd get to have fun slaughtering their foes together with Aleista and the Third and Fifth Liaisons. Yet that conflict was not to be as of yet, though this waiting was becoming quite a conflict in of itself since she was getting irritated over doing nothing. _"There just has to be something, something that can be done. Something fun I can do by myself."_

That's when it hit her as the doppelganger's mouth opened in a wicked grin of sadistic glee because the idea she just had pleased her. Breaking into a sprint towards the ziggurat, Soa formed wings with the many tendrils she shot out from her hair and back to fly on up towards the very top. Reaching her destination in mere seconds, the Fourth Liaison landed and withdrew the tendrils. A wide smile of excited joy was still spread across her face, reveling at her bright idea. Halting right in front of the abyss itself, Soa levitated in the air and shut her eyes, smiling as she lifted her arms with hands outstretched. Her palms faced upwards during this ritualistic contact, the way she knew how to contact M'nellkor. She wanted to see him up close and personal, telepathically calling him from within the abyss to rise up and see her while knowing it would definitely work. Whether the Great Elder chose to grant the privilege she wanted fulfilled or not was yet to be determined. What mattered at the moment was her attempt, and she just knew it was going to be successful anyway.

Moments of more waiting passed, though she was patient enough for this because Soa had a lot of endearing respect for her master. Raspbel's doppelganger was loyal to him and Aleista due to their aid in developing her as an individual demon, so she felt the two of them were like a family to her. The Third and Fifth Liaisons may not have been involved, though she'd welcome them into the family nonetheless simply because they were her fellow liaisons. According to Aleista, the two of them were also girls like them; thereby making the four of them a sisterly quartet full of sisterly love and familial affection for one another. Aleista never said who they were to keep their identities safe until it was time for them to be revealed to the doppelganger, but Soa was already thinking of cute nicknames she could give them depending on what they were like—with "adorable" being a keyword in them, just as she and Aleista were an adorable cannibal and adorable crow respectively.

Eventually she could hear the writhing and slithering of numerous tentacles, infinite in their number like the length and power of the Great Elder himself. Rising above to tower over his Fourth Liaison, M'nellkor separated his five head-like appendages to reveal a circular mouth of endlessly razor sharp teeth. His heads protruded out around his mouth, slowly moving about like serpents in a basket being charmed by a snake charmer. They were pointed directly at her, indicating he would listen to whatever request Soa wanted to make of him before deciding whether he'd entertain it or not. Telepathically communicating with Soa in a primordially eldritch language only Great Elders knew—with a handful of exceptional lesser individuals like the doppelganger who could not only translate it as she heard it, but also write and speak it as well—he inquired what her request was.

 _"Good evening, Milord,"_ she addressed him formally while speaking aloud. The formality wasn't necessary because M'nellkor found no need for such titles, though his liaisons still paid the proper respects anyway because they served and respected him as appreciation for what he did for them. They even spoke to him aloud which also wasn't necessary, though they did anyway because of their respect. Besides, not saying anything at all felt empty. _"I trust you are doing well, though might I propose a request I'd love for you to consider and grant accordingly?"_ Soa asked without hesitation or goading on from the Great Elder. _"Might I be allowed to fulfill a deal from before?"_

Aware that only he could make deals, M'nellkor knew at once she was referring to the deal she had tried to make with the demon whom she had developed within, adopting that girl's image for her own when manifesting into a physical entity. In spite of the fact he was the only one among them who could make deals because he preferred for his subjects to be safe with him acting as the go-between for them just as they were intermediaries for him, the Alchemist and Dealer thought it was a somewhat fair proposition. Granted, his Fourth Liaison did create chaos and nearly alert the enemies to their presence in this world, thus jeopardizing them as well as the Gray Garden. Despite Soa's deal being malevolent since she did want to eat those poor girls, the doppelganger still took the necessary steps to ensure Raspbel Preserves could be involved in the bargain, free to choose if she wanted to take part or not. Raspbel certainly didn't even if Soa wanted to try and force her to, mainly because the doppelganger did owe her for the help in manifesting, but it was a slightly fair bargain. Of course, Soa did want to force those girls down Raspbel's throat simply because of the desire to share a meal. In any case, that was just her way of wanting to pay the demonic girl back.

 _"You know, the deal I wanted to make with Raspbel?"_ Soa went on, aware that he knew of course, but reiterated it anyway simply to remind him anyway. _"Our dinner for two: namely us?"_

M'nellkor telepathically informed her that she would need supervision, and Soa was happy he was at least considering the idea. Even so, he hadn't given her his consent to this idea as of yet.

 _"I promise to be good, Milord. I won't let her eat corpses or the living. You can come too."_

Her words were followed by the puppy dog eyes she used on Aleista. While the lich demon always willingly gave in to the spectacle to make Soa happy, the Great Elder wasn't sure they were really all that effective on him. Still, she did gift him with that basilisk—and all the other monsters Raspbel's doppelganger somehow found; perhaps in other buried networks of caverns and whatnot in this entire world—and she did look adorable even though Aleista wasn't around to complete the portrait. Maybe it wouldn't have been a bad idea, so long as he supervised her and took some food for himself along from the gargantuan mountains of offerings Soa and Aleista gave him as gifts.

His approval garnered a joyous cheer from Soa as the doppelganger clapped while laughing happily. She hadn't had a chance to really pay Raspbel back appropriately, and now she had it with her master's permission. _"Yay! Thank you very much, Milord! I'll be sure to get dinner ready!"_

…

Her hand rose up with the fork grasped firmly within it, a small roll of spaghetti twirled up on it which gradually approached her mouth as the older demonic girl took a bite of out her dinner. Eyes shut tight, a soft smile spread across as her face as she picked up the napkin by her since she needed to wipe the sauce off from both sides of her mouth. It had been a long day for her at work, what with another of Ruby's pranks nearly making her have yet another heart attack due to all the embarrassment she felt when the angel's idea worked in her favor. Her energetic friend had placed a pot of soil up on the edge of a shelf on purpose so it could tip over and release the soil. Although she had her hand placed just at the bottom of it to keep the pot from falling off, Ruby intentionally let the soil spill by meticulously setting the thing up so it would tip over while she moved some of the other pots there. When she had casually walked over to the spot beneath it just as customers of their small shop started entering to browse or purchase flowers, the angel let it tip over and fall as a funny gesture of goodwill towards her demonic friend and to show customers they were funny.

Unfortunately, Raspbel didn't think it was very funny as everybody except Serenity began laughing at her predicament. Her face turned bright red when she blushed from the embarrassment, stuttering out incoherent speech in the form of babbled words as her other angelic friend, the gentle, understanding one of the two, hurried over to bring the demon into the backroom. Tears of fearful embarrassment poured out of her eyes as the poor girl trembled while Serenity helped her clean up the soil. It had gotten all over her hair, face, and dress; getting buried in the first, making the second pretty grimy as they tried to avoid getting it in her eyes, nose and mouth, and staining the last. All in all, Ruby essentially covered Raspbel in clean soil, thereby wasting it to make her look filthy.

At least she and Serenity got vengeance against Ruby by dumping two pots of soil on her. That was at the end of the day once they finished serving customers and had to clean up the store. Of course, Ruby didn't let them off so easy due to that—well, considering now, she kind of did. A way of getting back at the demon for that vengeance and enlisting Serenity to aid her with that had formed in her mind, and the lively angel just had to implement it at once after leaving the shop that day. "Mm, this is really tasty!" she exclaimed as a compliment to the chef. "Such neat texture and the marinara sauce goes well with the noodles! All in all, another masterpiece of a magnum opus!"

Serenity smiled, taking a bite of out her own spaghetti. "You say that like a food critic."

"Damn straight, girl! After all, who wouldn't want a taste of such magnificent food from a master cook?! And from her very own kitchen to boot!" Ruby replied, wiping her own mouth with a napkin of her own. She was making Raspbel blush in embarrassment again, though this time the demonic girl was smiling sheepishly because she was grateful for the praise. Even so, it did feel a bit embarrassing since a simple compliment would've sufficed. The high level of praise wasn't all that necessary to her because of her shyness, though she welcomed it all the same from her friend.

"Why, thank you, Ruby, it means a lot to me hearing you say that," Raspbel remarked as a token of her appreciation, piling a bit more spaghetti onto her fork. "I've never known you to be a gourmet like Yosafire and Rawberry. The three of you sure must appreciate the food you eat a lot."

"Well, what can I say?" her lively friend responded with a rhetorical question. "You've put a lot of your heart and soul into each of the meals you make, Rasp. How can I not enjoy them when you treat them with such tender, loving treatment, especially because you make it? You know I'm always up for something prepared by my closest friends with you being my favorite cook. You've got the makings of a master chef, Rasp, and I shall not accept food from anyone else except you."

"What was that about being 'up for anything prepared by your closest friends,' Ruby?" the other angel among the four of them inquired slyly, narrowing her eyes while smirking at her. "You do realize the supermarket will be losing a customer in exchange for you making Rasp a personal, permanent chef, right? Or are you too busy playing favorites that you won't care to lose my food?"

"Hey, I never said you were a bad cook, Seren; Rasp's is just always so much better," Ruby teasingly shot back to offer at least some praise for the other angel. "Even better than Wodahs and Dialo combined! In my opinion, anyway, though mine is all that matters here!" She turned to speak with Rawberry next, addressing the younger demon she also enjoyed hanging out with. "Isn't that right, my little friend?" the angelic girl inquired, gently nudging the demon with her elbow because she wanted to garner a response from her. Specifically one geared towards siding with her opinion.

Rawberry smiled, always glad to help one of her best friends—who was also one of her big sister's best friends too. "Yep! You betcha Ruby! There's no way anybody else's cooking can beat big sis'! Not even Mr. Wodahs and Dialo can surpass my big sis in all of the culinary arts!" Taking a bite of spaghetti, the younger demon turned towards Raspbel with her eyes shut tight, a smile on her face as she gave her older sister two thumbs up. "I love you, big sis! You're the very best!"

Raspbel smiled, reaching over to give her younger sister a pat on the head because it made her happy when she made Rawberry happy. "Thank you, Rawberry. I love you too," she responded before returning to her own dinner. "But you know, Ruby, you could still lose Serenity's cooking."

"Big deal, I've still got yours," Ruby chuckled, making Serenity glare at her in mock anger.

"Well, there goes my cooking," she huffed, pretending to be enraged with Ruby as a means of getting back at her with that playful insult from the other angel. "If I'm that worthless to you, it shouldn't be a problem letting you starve to death next time you want me to make you something."

"Hey, I do too appreciate ya, Seren," Ruby tried to calm her down. "I mean, there's a load of other things you can do that Raspbel can't, a lot of which are quite invaluable to me. Even if I'd choose her most of the time doesn't mean I never choose you all the time." If she thought that was going to work in her favor, she was wrong as Raspbel was quick to teasingly point out for her.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Ruby. You don't know whether she'll be happy with second place to me in first." That bit was also meant as a jab against herself too since she didn't mind her friends placing her in second or third. As long as they included her, she was fine regardless of what position in their favorites she'd been placed into. "Besides, I'm not so worthy as you might think."

"Then what's the point of even having you around?!" the lively angelic girl joked, happily teasing her back because she knew none of them would ever get angry with each other. "If you are not going to even be useful to me, why should I give a damn about your benefits to me, Rasp?! I'd easily get rid of you and Seren anytime, but I don't because you're both so invaluable to me. I may very well die without the two of you by my side. We're three musketeers, after all!" she laughed.

"Hey, what about me?!" Rawberry playfully pouted, mock tears of sorrow appearing in her eyes to let them know she wanted to be included too. "Am I not allowed to be a musketeer?"

Serenity chuckled, enjoying another bite of Raspbel's homemade spaghetti as they all kept conversing like this. "Seems like you're forgetting somebody important, Ruby. Your little friend's not too happy with being left out by one of her closest friends. You should promote her as well."

"Don't you worry, Rawberry," the energetic angel cheered her up, leaning over from where she was sitting next to the younger demon to put an arm around her shoulder. "We'd never let you be left behind even though you may not be as experienced as us, though you'll always be my very special pupil. There are things I can teach you that neither of these other two can; not even Rasp's got a good grasp of my skills. Just stick with me and the two of us shall always triumph in glory."

"Sure thing! You bet, Ruby!" Rawberry grinned widely, shutting her eyes while laughing. She was realty happy to have an older friend like Ruby to look up to, and Serenity was also another good influence on her too. The two angels had known her ever since Raspbel first started her career at The Auburn Tulip, and they were both slightly like older sisters to her just like her real big sister was. Raspbel smiled, enjoying the friendship her younger sister shared with them because it made the angels like part of the family, just as Rawberry's own friends were as well. They were a tightly knit group, always there to help one another out and hang out too whenever time was available for it. She loved this peaceful friendship, and wished it would never be shattered by anything. Closing her eyes while savoring another bite of her own meal, Raspbel sighed as she began to open them.

"You know, girls, I really appreciate having you over," she commented as they were shut. "You're always more than welcome to come over. I know I keep saying that a lot, and I mean it. I will always keep my door open for you if you ever need me, so don't hesitate to call on me." After saying this reminder for the umpteenth time in the years she spent together with them, she opened her eyes to suddenly find the room—not just the kitchen, but the whole house too from the look of it—had gone dark. Her eyes widened somewhat in confusion, a puzzled facial expression replacing her usual smile as she looked around to find nobody there. Rawberry, Serenity, and Ruby were all gone, and the table was strangely clear, devoid of any dishes, tupperware, silverware, and glasses. "Girls?" she called out to them, wondering where the three of them had gone while she was talking. "Girls, are you there? Where are you? Where did you three go?" It was a mystery, though Raspbel surely hoped it wasn't another of Ruby's pranks which she somehow roped Serenity and Rawberry into. The older demon began to get out of her chair, or at least tried to because she couldn't leave; she couldn't even stand up for whatever reason. "What the…? Why am I stuck? Was I glued here?"

 _"You could say that,"_ a voice spoke up, making Raspbel suddenly avert her attention up to see who was speaking. Yet nobody was there, and the kitchen table had suddenly changed. It used to be in the shape of a circle, but was now like a rectangle. The whole area itself became pitch dark to the point where Raspbel couldn't see beyond a circular light underneath the table and two chairs on either end of it, one of which she happened to be sitting in at the moment. The change in settings was so bizarre, making Raspbel wonder if she had somehow been warped elsewhere or if this was a dream. Although she couldn't really distinguish which one, she felt those were her only options.

"Huh? Who said that?" she asked, clearly not recognizing the owner of that voice. Though she could acknowledge it as a female, this person definitely was not Rawberry, Ruby, or Serenity. It didn't even sound like any of Rawberry's other friends either. Yet Raspbel swore it was a clearly a girl, but not an older lady due to the tone and pitch of the voice. The demon distinguished all that from it, but that was as far as she could go. Unfortunately for her, there was another symptom that she could recognize when it suddenly emerged as she felt it, and it sure wasn't pleasant. There was a cold breath on the back of her neck, goosebumps beginning to form along her body as she began to shiver timidly. This was a sensation she hadn't felt in a while, not for about a year at most. She knew it well from last year, the feeling of this presence being much closer than she thought it was. Swallowing heavily as her heart raced due to terror, Raspbel's eyes widened further while both of her pupils dilated, her head slowly turning to face the individual behind her. Yet nobody was there.

 _"Looking for someone?"_ the other girl asked teasingly from the other end of the table. She was definitely there, alright, for Raspbel finally saw her upon turning back to the table. With a cry of fright—or rather a scream, actually—the demon then gasped in horror as her breath got caught in her throat. She attempted to back away and run, but she couldn't; she was still stuck to the chair and couldn't even fall out of it. Raspbel desperately wanted to flee in terror from having come face to face with her mirror image once again, though knew she could never get away from her. It was impossible because this other girl was always with her, always in her shadow and reflection since she was exactly like her in appearance if not personality and the eyes. A mischievous cheshire smile served as her greeting from the other, the other's eyes shut tight with her head in the palm of her left hand. _"Look no further than through the looking glass of the mirror."_ The other girl was right, for Raspbel certainly didn't need to go beyond that point in order to find her. _"Hell, you do not really need to go that far anyway, or anywhere at all for that matter."_ Again, this girl was correct due to the fact Raspbel didn't need to look anywhere at all for her. She was her and not her at the same time, a doppelganger of Raspbel who caused her so much psychological trauma: Soa.

"Y-y-you…?!" Raspbel shrieked, her back up against the chair as she leaned backwards in it, her arms shooting in front of her since she had no defense or offense against her doppelganger.

 _"Me!"_ Soa chirped happily, holding her arms out to present herself. _"Ta da!"_ She laughed happily, applauding herself in amazed cheer while verbally cheering for the fact she was present.

"W-w-w-w-w-what are you d-d-doing here?!" the other demon demanded timidly in a cold sweat that began breaking out over her. Raspbel's breathing was getting faster, her eyes darting to every spot she could try to make out. Unfortunately, nothing was around; nobody was there to save her from the menacing doppelganger of herself who sat directly across from her. "I-I-I thought you w-w-went away! W-w-w-why have you c-c-c-come back?! W-w-w-why are you haunting me?!"

 _"Why the hell do you think, silly? Don't tell me you forgot our deal?"_ At this Raspbel was starting to get more terrified, the state of panic she was in increasing just like her erratic breathing. The fitful spell would've threatened to make her feel faint. Whether that was good or bad was yet to be determined. If she did, this horrible nightmare would've been over, otherwise she'd be eaten by her lookalike. Her mind kept trying to tell her this was a nightmare, though it was no help since this could've also been a reality in which she really was sitting across from Soa. How Soa arrived here in a dream was unclear to her—perhaps it was one of her abilities—though Raspbel believed this was just a dream. She hoped it was anyway as her doppelganger clarified that for her. _"You're still dreaming, but I'm still quite real, Raspbel. You should know better than to doubt me—despite being different from you with no real connection to you anymore, we're both still the same demon. I did manifest in you after all, so I know each and every one of your secret little—well, secrets. It's only natural I would because we're alike, the equivalent to one another and yet not equivalent."_

"I-I-I-I-I'm not like you at all!" Raspbel shouted fearfully, trying to retain her sanity along with her identity. In light of the fact Soa already covered that bit, Raspbel knew she was Raspbel; this doppelganger wasn't her even if the two of them were the same and also not the same. A very bad headache was starting to form because this wasn't making any sense to her. If anything, it was causing an identity crisis that made Raspbel inwardly question herself and who she actually was.

 _"Duh, of course not! I just went over that. Weren't you even listening to me?"_

Raspbel shook her head violently to try and clear her mind, attempting to take deep breaths so she could try and calm herself down. Her attempts were futile because Soa's presence alongside her existence only terrified the poor girl. This doppelganger killed a lot of innocent people, among them Ruby and Serenity with Rawberry and Macarona becoming potential victims. Those two did indeed become victims, though survived because Raspbel offered to sacrifice her own life for theirs instead so the two of them wouldn't get cannibalized alive by the doppelganger. Fear swarmed her mind, making Raspbel paranoid in her struggle to escape the chair and run had something not been holding her down, keeping her rooted to this very piece of furniture in this very spot. In desperation she whipped her head back to Soa, her eyes pleaded with the other to release her as an idea occurred to her. If she made another deal with Soa, she could request to be released from this confinement. "I-I-I'll d-do anything you want! J-just don't hurt me! L-leave Rawberry alone! S-s-she does—"

 _"Doesn't have anything to do with this,"_ Soa finished for her. _"Because she doesn't."_

Her statement made Raspbel blink in timid confusion. "W-w-wha…?"

 _"You heard me, or are you so deaf now that I've got to repeat it for you? Rawberry doesn't have anything to do with this; it's just you and I, Rasp. Nobody else except for us and Master will be involved,"_ the doppelganger explained to soothe the real Raspbel's nerves. Evidently it worked, though not without fully abolishing the poor girl's fear which Soa also addressed as she looked at Raspbel menacingly with a sinister smile on her face. _"You said you'd do anything, right?"_ Using her tongue to let the words trail along on it, she watched as the demon's eyes widened in fright.

"T-t-t-t-that's…I-I-I…" Raspbel stuttered, but her voice died out as Soa kept speaking.

 _"You do recall our previous arrangement—the first one, anyway, right? How I owe you?"_

"O-owe me…?" Finding her voice again to parrot the last bit, the demon thought on Soa's meaning for a few moments when it finally came to her: the doppelganger wanted to share a meal. Soa planned on having dinner with her despite their last encounter over that being less than friendly due to her holding Rawberry and Macarona hostage so she and Raspbel could split them up. This was what her psychotically cannibalistic doppelganger wanted, a deranged thought like the girl it was spouted from because it meant Raspbel would likely have to cannibalize someone or a corpse. That was Soa's preferred meal since it was in her diet, a delicacy to her which she enjoyed having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner simply because Soa was Soa. No further elaboration was needed.

 _"Bingo, you got it! A dim bulb finally brightens!"_ Soa applauded her, happy she caught on to the objective for this meeting between them. Her enthusiasm scared Raspbel further as apparent when the other girl flinched timidly out of fright, horrified by the notion she'd be cannibalizing an individual live or dead. _"Fret not, Rasp, I've got this covered,"_ the doppelganger added to reassure her that this wasn't going to be entirely unpleasant. Well, Raspbel was going to have to watch her cannibalize dead bodies, though she wouldn't make Raspbel do that as she was keeping her word. _"I'm not going to make you eat someone whether they're still kicking or not. I did promise Master I wouldn't, and he is joining us like I said."_ Her repetition of that fact garnered a frightened shriek from Raspbel as the demon looked down and around for the tentacles attached to M'nellkor, though they were not in sight even as she began to hear him slithering and writhing about everywhere she turned to look. _"I'm under his supervision,"_ Soa went on with her brief explanation, _"so I cannot cause you or anyone else any trouble. It's a shame big sis Aleista isn't here; she'd enjoy this too."_ A melancholic sigh escaped her mouth. _"Oh well, what can you do? Although Master's here with us, he's not going to be at the dinner table since this is supposed to be a dinner for two: us both."_

"U-us…?"

 _"Yeah, exactly, so I guess my adorable crow can't come after all."_ Soa may have sounded disappointed with the fact her adorable crow wasn't around, though at least she had Raspbel. Even if Raspbel didn't want her, she was still the demon's doppelganger and nothing was ever going to change that. Nobody except for M'nellkor and maybe Aleista and the other liaisons could, though the Great Elder and the lich demon certainly didn't want to. Perhaps the other two liaisons wouldn't either. _"Anyway, I slaved to prepare us both a banquet of sorts, respective meals we can each eat and savor to our hearts' delight. Go ahead and choose what you like; I'll certainly have corpses."_

At the sound of a sudden, solitary clap from her hands, an entire buffet of appetizers along with exquisite dinners and desserts materialized out of nowhere right in front of Raspbel. Blinking in horrified shock as she stared at all the three course meals she had to choose from, her belly was beginning to growl for some unknown reason. She already had dinner earlier that evening, and the spaghetti she ate in her dream was also pretty filling. Yet her stomach had somehow emptied itself, maybe so she could select which of these entrees, dinners, and desserts she wanted to have. It was such a surprise that Raspbel couldn't believe this was happening. Was this a dream or reality? Her doppelganger confirmed that bit, but Raspbel couldn't tell. That was a critical element that needed to be addressed further since the poor girl was already believing she was losing her mind from this.

 _"Go ahead, take your pick,"_ Soa encouraged her, startling Raspbel when she spoke up just a few minutes after the demon stared at the entire buffet banquet arranged in front of her. Looking up at her doppelganger, her eyes widened further in terror at the sight of corpses strewn about right in front of Soa. All of them were complete bodies; some were ancient Ghouls, and others were not. It was the latter that terrified her more because they were angels, the color of their wings being an orange tint with some yellow mixed in. _"I can conjure up a whole lot more if you'd like, Raspbel."_

"W-w-wha…?" Raspbel tried to speak, though her voice died out even as she pointed over to the angelic cadavers by her doppelganger. Evidently she was bewildered about their origins.

Her doppelganger seemed to take some offense to the inquiry that was not fully verbalized, though answered all the same in her usual, greedy tone when it came to cannibalism. _"Mine! These dipshits were my kills!"_ A sudden noise from all around them—probably M'nellkor telling Soa to better explain the origins—made her eyes widen in consideration of the advice she seemed to get. _"Oh, very well, at your command, Milord,"_ she responded, complying with the request. _"You see their wings?"_ Holding one up so Raspbel could better examine it, the doppelganger began to detail very briefly two recent exploits with Aleista. _"They're sun angels from the Sun Heaven. I got some from when they visited and attacked and also from our own trip there. Trust me, the Gray Garden doesn't have to worry about sunny boy anymore even if that other guy will cause you grief—well, not you directly, anyway. We've already spoken to your leaders and that Smoking God with them. They're well aware of our neutrality."_ Soa couldn't help herself since she couldn't even suppress a smirk at that, getting an idea to tease Raspbel. _"They never told you? Nobody said I said 'hello'?"_

Raspbel squeaked timidly, backing up in the chair that still didn't fall backwards. Her eyes were literally bulging out of their sockets, her whole body shivering uncontrollably. "T-t-t-they…" The demon's voice died again, horrified by the notion of not being informed about Soa still being present in this world. Granted, she felt she'd already known despite having seen her depart during their last encounter. Still, it didn't make things any better knowing Soa was still around in the Gray Garden. At the very least she managed to quickly comfort herself by the thought of not being told because of the trauma she experienced because of Soa—and the Ghouls. It showed everybody was simply being considerate of how she felt, and Raspbel was now thankful they chose not to tell her.

 _"Geez, you recovered from that quick,"_ Soa murmured, sounding disappointed with it. The taunt had failed, though she simply sat up and shrugged, holding a hand out to Raspbel as a gesture letting her know to take her pick. _"Choose the food you want to eat. I assure you, it's not poison."_

The demonic girl swallowed heavily, her attention diverting back to the food. Raspbel was scared of making a selection from among the choices arrayed in front of her, worried that Soa was lying about them being poisoned. She could feel the doppelganger's eyes boring into her, and knew she had to pick before Soa got angry with her. At a minimum Raspbel's doppelganger would pick for her; at a maximum she'd do something nasty to her instead, perhaps going so far as to kill her. "U-um…o-o-okay…" Raspbel uttered quietly and swallowed again, reaching a trembling arm out towards some mozzarella sticks to start off with. Soa watched her eat one, and surprisingly enough Raspbel's eyes widened in shock once more because she discovered they were actually good. They didn't contain any meat which she permanently abstained from along with bugs because of Ghouls and Soa. These were actually cheesy, full of nothing but pure cheese for her to consume and enjoy.

Soa smiled. _"Good, aren't they? See, I do know you well, Rasp."_ The doppelganger began to chuckle, ripping into one of the several corpses she had for dinner. Although Raspbel was going to start eating, she couldn't help but shiver as she did while watching Soa tear apart a corpse. This was already turning into a sickening experience because of Soa, though Raspbel did her best while bucking up to steel her stomach for the feast that would make her throw up later. The two of them simply stuck to their respective meals, Raspbel with her normal food and Soa with her cadavers. While they feasted, Soa struck up a conversation with her which Raspbel could not help but speak to as well in the hope of pleasing her doppelganger. _"You know, Rasp,"_ she began, thinking about discussing something she mentioned to Kcalb, Wodahs, and Fumus after Aleista left. _"We'd have to stay in your world for some time until an important package arrives. I can't say the details, but I can say we won't be here for a bit since we've got to do something with that package. We'll be back soon enough after all's taken care of because this world's going to be our new home."_

"Y-you w-won't?" Raspbel inquired, hoping her doppelganger would leave forever. She'd been through plenty of psychological trauma because of Soa. Sadly the doppelganger wouldn't go as it wasn't that easy to make her go. Knowing Soa was going to be living here was a nightmare.

 _"That's so mean, Rasp!"_ Soa glared at her from across the table, taking offense as she had easily read Raspbel's mind just then. _"Master loves this world! Like hell we're leaving forever! It will just be a temporary absence until our return!"_ She continued to shovel pieces of corpses into her mouth, once attempting to force an entire cadaver inside as well in addition to the pieces. There was something to be said about etiquette, though Soa had none since her table manners were really the equivalent of how a small child or toddler acted at the table. Soa was gluttonously greedy when it came to cannibalism—though she did love to share her meals with Aleista all the time—so there was no changing this aspect of her. Raspbel just had to simply accept the fact that Soa was Soa.

"A-ah, s-sorry!" the demon panicked, trying to avoid her doppelganger's wrath.

 _"Tch, whatever,"_ said doppelganger brushed her apology aside, calming down now. _"Like hell I'd bother you if I wanted to—well, technically I do, but Master and big sis Aleista won't allow me to. Besides, even if we did leave the Gray Garden, we can't go very far. We've managed to get into the Sun Heaven undetected because of what's inside that shrouded veil the Land of the Sun is referring to as their sun. That thing's blind as a bat in there, so we could get in and out without a hitch, especially since we weren't there for too long. Any longer and we'd have attracted attention from our enemies, just like when I proudly committed the Doppelganger Murders last year. Oh, it is still an achievement I'm quite proud of myself, even if anybody else doesn't really think so too."_

"O-oh…" Raspbel murmured quietly, trying not to offend her doppelganger. Choosing her words carefully, she made sure not to provoke her even Soa's comment provoked her timidly. "Is t-that s-so?" Her remark garnered a nod from Soa, though the doppelganger didn't say a word since she was still piling the dead into her mouth. However, she was beaming happily since she had the chance to finally share this meal with Raspbel, thereby satisfied with their dinner for two. Raspbel didn't want to push her luck, though she still had to know why Soa was here in the first place.

 _"I've told you, didn't I?"_ her doppelganger spoke up without needed to hear the question's verbalization so she could clarify the answer. _"I owe you, this dinner between us is just that. I was so looking forward to it last time that I was disappointed it had to be cancelled—you could maybe say it was postponed till now instead since we're having it."_ A moment later she sighed in somber disappointment. _"If only big sis were here, we'd have a lot more fun. She went off to get the Third Liaison, you see, so I've been bored waiting for her to return. It's no fun being grounded when my adorable crow isn't around to play with me. The loneliness got to me, so I thought I'd see you."_

Raspbel blinked, surprised by her doppelganger's feelings which suddenly emerged. There was still some ravioli on her plate when she stopped eating it due to the sudden revelation making her stop for a few moments. Staring at Soa, the demon couldn't help but feel that she was actually depressed by the absence of this other girl, the one called Aleista whom Raspbel never met. Maybe she did once, but only with a passing glance towards the general direction this Aleista was coming from. Thinking about how sad Soa seemed to be, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Soa since she was starting to remind her of Rawberry. Raspbel was quite close to her little sister, so maybe Soa's bond with Aleista was exactly the same with Soa being like Rawberry and Aleista like her. Feeling a bit of trepidation arise within her even though this feeling calmed her down somewhat, Raspbel's mouth opened as she said something to try and cheer Soa up. "I-I'm s-sure s-she'll come back for you. S-she might not be gone for t-too long, S-Soa." It didn't seem to work, but Soa looked at her.

 _"I know, but this waiting is really killing me. I want her to come back right away so we can play once she introduces me to the Third Liaison. I'm already thinking of cute nicknames we could call her when big sis brings her over."_ Soa sighed, having trouble with that thought process since she still didn't know what the Third Liaison was like. Even the Fifth Liaison was a mystery to her, but she eventually shrugged these concerns off. _"Eh, no use thinking about them now. I'll put some more thought into it when they arrive."_ Tearing into another corpse, Soa smiled since she was glad to at least spend some time with Raspbel even if the demon was still scared of her. _"Oh well, back to digging in."_ Ripping more corpses up and piling them into her mouth, continuing to shovel them in while getting a shovel lying on the floor next to her—where she got that shovel was a complete mystery, but it didn't really matter because Soa was Soa—to continue scooping corpse parts in her mouth, Soa kept smiling while laughing since she enjoyed the meal and also Raspbel's company.

As she was doing so, Raspbel couldn't help but feel a bit of sisterly understanding for Soa. Her doppelganger may have been a psychotic cannibal, but Soa still had some positive qualities.

 _"Mm, these are such tasty, delectable cadavers!"_

Even if the positive qualities were outweighed by negative ones. Oh well, Soa was Soa. A truth that simply had to be accepted even though it didn't really explain anything with elaboration.

Yet there was a matter that had to be addressed, something Raspbel completely forgot about until now because she managed to recall the issue in question. "U-um, S-Soa? I-is this a nightmare, or a reality for me?" She knew Soa already covered that, but still sought some further clarification.

Soa smirked, the desire to tease Raspbel again arising. _"What do you think, Raspbel?"_ she asked now that the two of them had finished their respective meals, thus ending the dinner for two.

…

When Raspbel awoke at that moment she was bathed in a cold sweat and breathed heavily to try and recover from the nightmare she had. Her whole body was trembling, and her heart began racing in fear as she turned ashen while jolting upwards into a sitting position. "Big sis!" her little sister cried out upon witnessing her older sister's horrified reaction upon waking up. Dashing over to her side, Rawberry sat herself on the bed beside Raspbel to embrace her in a warm hug to calm her down as best she could. "It'll be okay, big sis, it'll be okay," she whispered in a soothing tone of voice, helping her sister even as Raspbel began scratching at all the tentacles only she could see on herself. Though she soon stopped in Rawberry's comforting grasp and presence. "It was only a nightmare, big sis," the younger demon kept consoling her. "It just a nightmare, nothing more than that." However, it wasn't just a nightmare because it was more than that; it had been a dinner which left Raspbel feeling a little stuffed that morning. A dinner in a nightmarish reality that occurred in her sleep when Soa took the time to pay her a visit. Perhaps a light breakfast would've sufficed. A good omelet could've done the job, or maybe even some cereal if Raspbel was up for such food.

Unfortunately, Soa's taste for cannibalism had left a fresh imprint on her mind, reviving a much older version of it. Unable to hold off the bile any longer, Raspbel forced herself out of this comforting embrace to seize the garbage pail in between their beds. Bringing it closer as she began to hunch over, the poor demon failed to suppress an urge to puke into it because the nightmare was that sickeningly twisted even though it had also been amiable in a terrifying sort of way. Even so, Raspbel was grateful to be alive and well in spite of the dinner for two Soa prepared for them both. That still didn't mean she was able to stomach it like Soa had been able to. After all, Soa was Soa.

…

 **Poor, poor Raspbel. She can never escape the shadowy reflection of her doppelganger. At least Soa behaved herself this time in light of the fact she still deeply disturbed Raspbel.**

 **The idea for this one-shot occurred around the time when I had finished the thirteenth chapter of** _Atonement_ **, when I had put in a part where Soa made a request for the characters to give Raspbel her regards. This one-shot certainly does relate to that main project as a sort of side story because it takes place after chapter twenty-four of** _Atonement_ **. I figured it was a good idea to implement this as a separate story while still connecting it to that main project.**

 **Anyway, I also want to wish you, the readers, a very Merry Christmas this year!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Gray Garden; it is owned by Mogeko.**


End file.
